Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 7

In a corner of a spacious residence, two small shadows huddled together were whispering to each other holding a scroll with letters and drawings on it.

'Hey, hey, '■■'...! Let's think about the plan again!'

'Shhh! Please speak in a low voice! It'll be troublesome if someone hears us.'

Says the girl who has recently been scolded by the grown-ups for her unrestrained behavior. Same old behavior again, the boy thought. However, it is his job to play along with her. And since it is not good for them to be heard, he holds his index finger over the girl's mouth and asks her to lower her voice.

'Hehh~, I get it. The plan is just a secret between us, right?'

'Do you really understand...? Then, these are the plans you've been thinking about until the last time. But what do you plan to do this time?'

'Umm... What kind of house are we going to live in after we've done the drawings? A-And what kind of family do we make?'

The boy understands that the wild and absurd plan of a little girl with a dreamy mind can never come true, and he also understands that it is something that must not happen in the future. But... considering her situation, he thought it would be good for her to have the freedom to imagine. In a way, the boy was bonded to the unfortunate girl, even if it was dangerous from his own standpoint. Of course, the latter's question is naturally ignored.

'Okay, I understand. But it is a bit difficult to live in a village. Because it is small and closed, so someone will suspect you immediately. Then we have to live in a city where there are many people, or in the mountains where it's quieter.'

The boy makes a realistic proposal to the girl. He knows that the girl is dreamy and simple but not stupid or dumb. Therefore, if he made a serious proposal as much as possible, she would think that he was being serious about his stupid story.

'Let's create a ricefield together!! After all, you see, I like momo (もも?), so I'll make lots of momoen (ももえん?)!'

'Is it good for you there? But, isn't it easier to live in a city?'

'Eh, no way. I don't like too many people.'

The girl looks deeply dissatisfied. Thinking of her situation, it's no wonder she's afraid of so many people she doesn't know. For her, she doesn't need a lot of people. Just a few, important people she can rely on. At least for her these days.

Maybe it was only after she awakened to her power and was thanked for saving so many people that she developed a sense of responsibility to help all people. That's when she could affirm herself.

'Okay, okay, let's do as you say, Princess. Then... two people can eat from the mountain in the beginning... But how many people should be in a family? I mean, Princess, even if the mountain food is abundant, it can't fill more than two people's stomachs. So, to have more members is... do you know what I mean? Aren't you fooling me? Good grief, I don't know what you're thinking... Okay, Hina, don't be so angry....'

The boy apologizes to the girl who is sulking with her mouth puffed up. But the girl gets even angrier because she feels like she is being treated like a child. But she soon forgets about it and takes advantage of the only person she can rely on again.

'I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Hina.'

'Hmph, I can't help it. I forgive you. So please pat me more, okay?'

The boy takes care of the problem at hand by using a special move that he does not like to do in front of others: patting the child's head. In the game, the girl has never had anyone do this to her ever since her father did it to her when she lived in the village a long time ago. She is a stout-hearted but actually sweet-natured girl, and supposedly she used to ask the main character to pat her head when her likability level reached a certain level in the game. Well, now she is just a child and has nothing to carry on her back, so it is rather easy for the boy to pat her head and she also asks him to do so.